The right to remain silent
I don’t converse much for two reasons.
1. I’m not good at it.
2. I don’t want to be good at it.
Much against this distressing dilemma, i often get asked on Twitter why i don’t reply to mentions. Keeping up with their expectations, i don’t answer that question. Besides, i commit enough typos while typing my lame tweets that i’d rather not wish to increase my errata count. Or maybe i’m one of those who let others have the last word by not replying in the first place. And if at all i were to say something that could come close to explaining my stubbornness, i’d preferably not say it. I’m not accountable for my tweets. They are Grade A rubbish in any case. Similarly, it’s a choice to stay away from timeline conversations. Not that i find these wit-induced gabs boring but then i don’t find them overwhelmingly enticing either. Some talks make you giggle whereas some make you cringe. Both are OK as long as nobody is pointing a missile at your crotch and forcing you to read. For the record, i’m yet to witness an insightful chat taking place between two tweeps. People arrive with certain mindsets and log out with the same. Absolutely nothing changes. And they repeat the procedure tomorrow as well. This isn’t my theory because we know this for certain. A majority of us converse on social media for the sole sake of marking our attendance in the virtual world. Practically speaking, we haven’t graduated much from Orkut even though we won’t admit it. Of course, there’s nothing wrong with it as this attitude pretty much serves the whole purpose of garnering attention — not to forget, validation — we otherwise lack in our real world. But the ultimate gospel states that tweeps are merely killing time.
However, coming back to my self-imposed silence, i used to be part of this circus till circa 2010 before i stopped participating in the celebrated verbal-diarrhea-fest. Just like that. Of course, i pay for my heresy by getting constantly bombarded for being a mute. I also lost the followership of some brilliant tweeps who thought i was an outcast now. After all, people from media can’t afford to be isolated but I’m doing fine. I’m neither a huge fan of letting others know what kind of shitty tabloid articles i write for a living nor a huge critic of digital networking so my chosen technique works for me. Anyway, i don’t know what I’m doing but i fortunately know what I’m not. I don’t respond while i continue to listen to the never-to-be-addressed grievances. So those who think I’m not a good listener, you’re mistaken. Despite hectic schedule (yeah, there are folks out there with high-demand-low-paying jobs), i check my mentions every now and then. Got to admit that very few tweets make me laugh harder. In my defense, at least i don’t discriminate when it comes to replying mentions. Unlike most of the tweeps who bother to talk to only those whose intellect and follower count matter. To me, all are equally important as well as unimportant. No wonder i haven’t blocked even the worst of trolls yet. Moreover, my responding to their mentions won’t change a thing. We were and we shall remain miserable, no matter what. Lastly, to answer your question why i don’t use my reply button: Well, because i can.